Washing-board.



A. W. SAUNDBRS.

WASHING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 191s.

Patented May 19, 191i COLUMBIA PLANuak/Pll :0..wumNuTnm u. c.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

ARTHUR WALTER SAUNDERS, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND.

WASHING-BOARD.

Leccese.

To all whom t muy concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR WALTER SAUNDEns, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residingat l Nursery Mount, Woodhouse Hill, Leeds, in the county of York, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relat ing` to Washing-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in washing boards provided with a corrugated surface upon which the clothes to be washed are soaped, rubbed or scrubbed with a brush.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved, simplified, and economical construction of washing board of this character utilizing brushes or the like for retaining the soap upon the board where it will have the most effect upon the clothes being washed.

According to this invention the rubbing or scrubbing board is formed as hitherto of a wooden or other frame in which the two side pieces project below the bottom of the rubbing or scrubbing surface,-hereafter termed rubbing surface,-and the rubbing surface is formed in sect-ions of transverse horizontal corrugations or flutes formed either wholly or partially of wood, zinc or other material in one or more pieces secured together by any suitable means. In this arrangement the convex or arched portions of one of the rubbing surfaces are arranged to be opposite the concave or indented portions of the rubb-ing surface on the opposite side of the board.

At a suitable distance between the top and bottom sections of the rubbing surfaces is inserted a corrugated portion provided with a number of horizontal rows of bristles to form a brush which extends the full width of the said surface, and forms the means for retaining the soap at or about the center of the washing portion of the board.

In the drawings hereunto annexed Figure 1 is a front elevation of a washing board constructed according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevationof the same on line A, B, Fig. l; Fig. 3 is an enlarged part sectional elevation showing the brushes with the corrugations above and below them.

The washing board consists of the two sides a, a, the top rail b provided with the handles c, c, and the bottom rail d.

In practice the sides a, a are formed, say, rectangular in cross section with a groove e Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 7, 1913.

Patented May 19, 1914. Serial No. 777,672.

cut in each of the inner sides for a suitable depth from the top rail Z1 to the bottom rail rl, and the sides are made to project below the bottom rail as shown at Fig. 1 in order that they may be inserted in a washing tub or tray and permit of the rubbing surface being readily above the upper edge of the said tub or tray. The top rail o and the bottom rail Z are cach made in any suitable shape, such as round, or square, and in each of the said parts is respectively cut the transverse groove f and g for purposes to be presently described. The ends of the sides a are respectively mortised or otherwise secured to the top rail 5 and the bottom rail d.

In the vertical grooves e, c in the sides a is inserted a center board l1. made in two portions which extend respectively from the top rail b to the top of the center section z' in which the tufts of b1'istles,-wliich form the brushes y', y',-are placed, and from t-he underside of the center portion to the groove g in the bottom rail (l. The two portions of the center board /1l are placech-as shown at Fig. 3,-between the corrugated surfaces of the rubbing surface 7c. The rubbing snrfaces 7c, c are formed of either wood, zinc or other material, and the sides and ends thereof are made to pass respectively into the grooves e, f, and g, and are held in posi tion by the said grooves. In the drawings the rubbing surfaces 7: 7c are formed of a sheet of zinc cut to the required size bent so as to form the two rubbing surfaces of the washing board and to permit of the center board passing between them, as shown at Fig. 3.

It will readily be seen that the lower edge of the upper portion of the rubbing surface 7c is bent inward and upward to form the V-shaped horizontal groove Z shown for receiving and holding in position the upper end of the center section z' which is shaped to Iit it, and the upper edge of the lower section f; is similarly V-shaped only in the opposite direction for receiving the lower edge of the said center section.

In this invention instead of havin@ the projections or convex portion of the rubbing surface on the same level on both sides of the board, they are arranged to be opposite to each other. That is to say, the convex portion n on one side of the board is opposite to the concave portion o on the other side. The projections of the upper and` lower rubbing surfaces on the opposite sides of the washing board are staggered so that there may be uniformity in the spacing apart of the corrugations throughout the entire length and Von both sides of the board.

The center portion z' is preferably, though not necessarily so, made of wood, and the tufts of bristles j are inserted in horizontal rows in the concave portion of each corru! gation. As is clearly shown in Fig. 3, the center portion t is formed at either side with alternate grooves and projections which are staggered on the opposite sides of the section. rlhe tufts of bristles are seated in the staggered grooves or concave portions at the opposite sides of the section so that they may be set in to a considerable distance without iinpairing the strength of the section.

rlhe tufts or bristles j are arranged at suitable distances apart in each row, and the bristles on one side of the board may be of different strengths or thicknessesv from the bristles on the opposite sides so that a hard or soft brush may be fo-rmed one on each side so as to be suitable for ne or delicate goods as well as for strong or coarse goods. lf desired the strength or thickness of the tufts may be varied in each row o-r in the successive rows. ln the drawings five rows of "ristles are shown on each side of the center section, but this number may be varied. as circumstances require. That is to say, Vthe number may be either reduced or increased as circumstances or the class of goeder-for which the washing board is mech-require. The rows of bristles are made to extend the full width ofthe rubbing surface and the tufts may be more or less widely spaced. The center board h forms a stiffening piece for the corrugated surfaces L when they areformed of zinc or other sheet meta-l. The tufts of bristles form a ready means for retaining the soap at a suitable distance from the top of the board washed are laid over the corrugated surfaces 7c, le, andvafter Abeing soaked in water, and the soap placed inthe brush portion z', the clothes vare rubbed or scrubbed thereon until they become clean.' Y Y lVhat clainiisl. ln a washing board7 a frame, Va middle section in the frame, and upper and lower sections in the frame, each of said upper and lower sectionsrcomprising a single corru-k gated sheet of metal returned upon itself and bent at its overturned portion into a socket for the reception of the adjacent edge of said middle section. e Y

2. In a washing board, corrugated end sections, a middle section interfitting betweenthe end sections and havingalternate corrugations in its opposite-V sides, and tufts of bristles carried by the middle section,-

said tufts of'bristles being seated in the alternate grooves of the middlerrsection whereby the tufts may bek seated relatively deep into the middle section without inipairing the strength of the same.

3.111 a washing board, asectionialternately corrugated at its opposite sides, and

tufts of bristles carried by the section, said tufts being seated in the alternate grooves of said section whereby the tufts may be seated relatively deep into the section without impairing the Vstrength of the same.

ARTHUR WALTER YSAUNDERS.

Vitnesses lV, FAIRBURN -Hen'rJ VILLIAM SADLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of latents,

Washington, D. C. 

